Rhinoplasty in Birmingham
Rhinoplasty is a cosmetic procedure that is used to reshape the nose. Most people that choose to have a cosmetic rhinoplasty have been self-conscious of their nose most of their life. Typically, this is an inherited characteristic and is bothersome especially in pictures. Women that are getting married or having pictures made tend to be more self-conscious of their nose.
If there is a hump on the dorsum of the nose the profile view is affected and trying not to turn to the side is a very common complaint from women that have a hump on the nose. In addition as we age the nose gets larger when this happens the tip can drop or begin to droop and this can affect breathing. This makes someone that was already self-conscious appearance of their nose even more so as many people don't realize the nose continues to grow with age, they do realize something is different and often cannot put their finger on it.
There are also people who like the way their nose looks except when they're smiling. This is due to an overactive depressor septi muscle which can cause the tip of the nose to turn down with animation like smiling. Having a nose that turns down is associated with aging and often just minor tip work can make even a young person look more youthful and feel more confident. It used to be that Rhinoplasty required packing in the nose which is what people fear the most. They have heard stories about packing and how painful this can be to remove. This is certainly a true fear however as time has evolved more often than not packing is not necessary in Rhinoplasty
I have an employee that after 10 years of working for me asked me to fix the size of her nostrils as they get bothered her most of her life. This was especially significant when she smiled and she noticed it in pictures. I had never really noticed and was shocked that it was bothersome to her especially because I tend to notice essentially everything, especially on faces. This was a very subtle procedure that is slightly reduced the size of her nostrils that made up for found difference in the way she felt about herself. I'm certain that no one noticed that her nostril size was reduced, however she could tell a difference in her photos which made a difference in how she felt.
I had a rhinoplasty and this was for a rather noticeable hump on the dorsum of my nose. To me it was incredibly obvious and I couldn't imagine that everyone I saw wouldn't say oh good you finally had a rhinoplasty! Instead I heard have you changed your hair? Are you wearing different make up? You look really happy! And the last one was certainly true. I was very happy to have the nose that I feel like I should've always had. I was very skeptical of telling my parents that I wanted to have a rhinoplasty as I was unsure of how they would take this type of news. I decided to tell my mother I was simply hoping to have her nose because that was also true but I felt like it would soften her to the idea and it did. My father was different because he has essentially the same nose and I was concerned he might feel that this was part him that I was trying to alter. Instead he told me that he'd always wanted to fix is well and subsequently had the same procedure very shortly following mine. In his case he could breathe substantially better and felt like he slept better as a result of his improved breathing.
There are also people that have headaches and this can be a result of nasal obstruction when the septum in these cases is repaired people have better quality of life is there no longer having significant headaches which can impair your ability to enjoy daily activities.
We can perform rhinoplasty in an outpatient setting in our AAAHC accredited operating room. You can go home the same day and return the next morning for follow-up. This procedure typically takes 2 to 3 hours and most of the time the incisions are inside of the nose. If the nasal base needs to be reduced this could involve a few sutures on the outside of the nose. These incisions heal in the crease of the nose and are imperceptible. A good rhinoplasty should look like it was intended for the face and not look operated on.
There has been a significant amount of questions about a "non-surgical nose job.” This involves injecting in fillers like Juvederm to alter the appearance of the nose. This is for patients that want very minor changes and have a small enough abnormality that it can be corrected with a minimal amount of volume. This can last about six months and can be an excellent option but only for a very limited group who need very minimal correction.
A septoplasty can be performed with a rhinoplasty when indicated. A septoplasty corrects a deviated or crooked septum which is the bone and cartilage that separates the right and left sides of your nose. Often a septoplasty is combined with the rhinoplasty if needed.
There's there's so many things in life we can do nothing about however having a nose that needs a slight tweak to make you feel better about how you look is often an easy fix. I get a lot of questions like "well I look like Michael Jackson" and I can certainly understand why this is a concern. The overwhelming majority of patients do not want a tiny nose or knows that looks as though it belongs on a Barbie doll. Most people want to look like themselves just without a hump or the tip slightly smaller so that the nose is a proportionate to the rest of the face. A dramatic change in the nose is never something I am looking to do. In addition to causing significant breathing difficulties making a dramatically small nose is never going to appear natural.
The goal is especially with women to make the nose look feminine and often wear just matching the nose to the rest of the face it's as if it was intended to be slightly different and it is overwhelmingly satisfying when done correctly to have the nose that fits your face.